Debunking Sales Myths
Sales is an amazing and un field to be in, with tremendous opportunities for growth and advancement.
Myth 1: Cold calling gets you nowhere fast
Fact: Cold calling is a technique in which a salesperson contacts individuals who have not previously expressed interest in the offered products or services. Cold calling is more effective than cold emailing.
Myth 2: Buyers don’t take meeting
Fact: Cold calling works best when it’s coupled with other efforts. More than half of the prospects said they agreed to meetings after they receive email and phone calls.
Myth 3: Sales is a number game
Fact: Sales success is based on quality – not on quantity. The more you put in the top end of your sales funnel the more you will get out of the other side but there is a whole lot of steps in between. When leads are researched and nurtured, customers end up larger purchases.
Myth 4: Make 10 or more calls to reach good prospects
Fact: Never give up on leads. Stop pursuing leads after about the sixth cold call. Leads that require seven or more calls just to make first contacts are less likely to convert
Myth 5: Customers do most of their purchase research alone and online
Fact: Purchase decisions are made before they talk to a salesperson. Just because buyers spend time online doesn’t mean sales are not involved, buyers need more specific information and desire for a human relationship.
Myth 6: it takes five touches – and five “nos” – before prospects say “yes”
Fact: It takes eight touches to get an agreement. Top performers often get the “yes” after the “yes” after hearing “no” five times.
Myth 7: Ask as many questions as you can during a discovery call, as long as prospects answer
Fact: Ask questions, to wind up a conversation to make them feel they’re under interrogation. When asking a few questions, you won’t get enough information to move the sales forward.
Myth 8: You must be social selling to win sales
Fact: Social selling is valuable, but with it alone won’t win sales. Social selling is a powerful tool for salespeople, but it needs to be coupled with traditional sales tactics.
Myth 9: You’ll close more deals with more “Social Proof”
Fact: Salespeople who deal with more social proof in sales calls have lower rates than salespeople who don’t.
Myth 10: “The average buyer” does this or doesn’t do that
Fact: There is no “average buyer”. Salespeople may only talk to one decision-maker at first – or even over the course of the buying journey.
Myth 11: Don’t talk about the competition
Fact: Whether you talk about your competitors or not, never trash-talk your competitors.
Myth 12: Only big companies can and should host webinars
Fact: Webinars are a powerful lead generation tool. Handheld technology and expertise are all it takes for nearly any small group or individual to put together a webinar and gain sales.
Debunking Marketing Myths
Digital marketing becomes more of a necessity now. Like traditional marketing, digital marketing is vast and is overwhelming for people who are not aware of it or not from this field. Marketing is vital for creating business visibility by educating prospects and customers about you, your products and services, and how you can help them solve a problem. The more investment in your marketing, the greater business success you will have.
Myth 1: Marketing has an instantaneous effect
Fact: The relationship with your target audience is not spontaneous and it can take time to create enough quality content to begin producing results. Think marketing as an investment and one that can take time to see the greatest gains. Some marketing tactics can produce instant visible results, you need sustained contact with your target audience to make sure they know who you are and what you can offer them
Myth 2: Social Media is pointless for a target audience
Fact: A lot of people are engaged in social media since it is a crucial mistake to miss out on a connection and building relationships with these users through social media platforms.
Myth 3: Email Marketing is not Effective anymore
Fact: An effective email marketing can strengthen your relationship with customers and drive revenue, such as videos, blogs post, etc. Marketers ought to know that email is a far more effective way to acquire customers almost 40 times more effective.
Myth 4: Social Marketing is Free
Fact: Social media channels are free to use excluding any advertising cost. Inbound and social media marketing requires extensive resources, people and time to be successful. Inbound marketing requires the creation of quality, relevant content and being present on the social networking sites to build relationships with your target audience.
Myth 5: A mobile website is pointless for small businesses
Fact: Today’s digital era, the use of smartphones and tablets are increasing, a mobile responsive website is very important for all businesses as potential opportunities could be lost, especially businesses with a physical location, as they could be preventing being noticed by ideal clients.
Myth 6: Anyone can build a website
Fact: Create your own website if you have the technical skills. However, it is a good idea to invest in a professional marketing company with experience and knowledge. Your website is the foundation for all your inbound marketing activities and it needs to be created as a marketing tool. But understanding best practices around the content organization and user experience is critical to making sure your visitors find what they are looking for, so hiring a professional could be a lifeline.
Myth 7: You need to change your messages before you become boring
Fact: Changing your brand, message or campaign for the sake of change could be both wasteful and harmful. Consistency and repetition are key. You can vary your content across different platforms, but the message should remain the same.
Myth 8: Lower cost means higher sales
Facts: Many buyers are believers in the “you get what you pay for” motto. So it is important to target your product or service correctly so that you can provide the maximum value at the right price.
Myth 9: Logo = Brand
Facts: Brand is the perception of the world and is far more complex than just a logo. A brand isn’t just about your company colors, logo or your website; it is who is as a company, the value you deliver and the complete client experience. Your brand needs to be used consistently across all social media and marketing activities, reflecting the personality of your business.
Myth 10: Marketing and Advertising are the same
Fact: Advertising to communicate messages about products and services, marketing is more about educating your target market about what you can offer them and why they should buy from you. Advertising can be online or offline through magazines, newspapers, billboards, etc. The cost of traditional advertising outweighs the value, so it could depend on your business and client.
Myth 11: SEO is Dead
Fact: SEO is not dead. SEO is evolving with Google. As social media has become a primary form of communication, search engines have begun to factor your social network into the results you see. In social search, content that has a social connection to you in some way is prioritized. The search metrics are already measuring the presence of active social media and finding content shared socially shows higher in search.
